


scaredy-cat

by TripsH



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fluff, M/M, because kid iwaoi is my ultimate weakness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-31
Updated: 2014-10-31
Packaged: 2018-02-23 09:19:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2542328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TripsH/pseuds/TripsH
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Oikawa is pressed right up against his side and Iwaizumi can feel him shaking, can tell without even really having to look how scared he is. So with a sigh, he sticks out his hand. “Here.”</p><p>“W-what’s that for?”</p><p>“It’s a hand. You hold it, dummy.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	scaredy-cat

**Author's Note:**

> For the iwaoi halloween event. I don't really even know what this is, I am just weak for kid iwaoi and threw around some headcanons 
> 
> If you ask me how this got to 2300 words, I will have no answer because I still don't even know. And in other news, my titling skills are very lacking

There is a long list of things that Oikawa Tooru is afraid of. He’s reluctant to admit it, of course, instead likes to make ridiculous declarations of “I’m not afraid of anything, Iwa-chan. I’m not a baby, you know.”

_Yeah, as if._

Oikawa is scared of a lot of things, both stupid and realistic. The list is topped with horror movies they’re not supposed to watch but still do anyway, continues with thunderstorms, ends with monsters under the bed.

At this point in their lives together, Iwaizumi can probably rattle off at least ten (most likely even more) of Oikawa’s fears without even having to think about it. That’s how well he knows, how accustomed he is to dealing with them in his seven years.

(One time, Iwaizumi asks Oikawa why he isn’t scared of aliens. Oikawa almost looks offended, puffs out his cheeks as he answers, petulant, “Aliens are _cool_ , Iwa-chan.”

“Then why are you scared of monsters but not aliens? They’re basically the same!”

Again, Oikawa looks as if Iwaizumi just said the most insulting thing in the whole entire world. “They are not the same! And I’m not scared of them!”

“You are! You were just afraid of sleeping on my floor last week and _begged_ to sleep in the bed because the monster under it could get you on the floor.”

Oikawa huffs and pinches him, caught in the lie, the declaration that he’s not afraid even though it’s pointless to say something of the sort to Iwaizumi, who knows better than anyone else just exactly how many things Oikawa is scared of.)

In his seven years, Iwaizumi thinks he’s probably never met as big of a scaredy-cat crybaby as Oikawa, resigns himself to the fact that it’s likely no one will ever be able to take that title from him.

As annoying as it can be—see: the nights they have sleepovers when Oikawa slides under the covers of his bed and clings onto him tightly, where the closeness and warmth is maybe, _maybe_ , welcomed even though Oikawa nearly kicking him off the bed with his wild sleeping habits is most certainly _not_ something he likes—he’s grown used to it, he’s okay with it.

Without even realizing it, Iwaizumi has made some sort of unspoken promise to himself to be the one to protect Oikawa when he’s scared, to hold his hand, to get him through.

(He’d never admit that _aloud_ , of course, but then again he probably doesn’t have to. It’s likely Oikawa already knows. There’s a reason he goes to Iwaizumi before his own mother. Maybe… probably.)

Iwaizumi supposes that he’ll always be there for Oikawa, scaredy-cat or not, crybaby or not.

But it’s that resolution that ends up causing him a lot of grief, more often than not.  

…

“Of _course_ we’ll be there,” Oikawa declares to their classmate, boisterous, confident, face not showing a trace of fear.

Despite the put on attitude, Iwaizumi can feel his best friend practically shaking, knows that if fear was a physical manifestation it would be radiating from Oikawa, completely visible and alerting everyone in the general vicinity how much their classmates’ suggestion scared him.

But Oikawa has always been good at putting on a show and even though others may be unable to see through his blatant lies, Iwaizumi always can.

A group of their classmates had invited them to the haunted house their school was having that year for Halloween. Knowing that something like that probably isn’t something Oikawa would want to have any part in, Iwaizumi was about to say no for both of them—no matter how much he might want to go—but Oikawa answered before he even could.

And for some reason, the “no” he expects to hear sounds an awful lot like a “yes.”

Then he realizes that’s because it is.

Of course.

_Of course._

Nothing is ever easy, is it?

Oikawa’s answer is surprising for a moment, until Iwaizumi realizes it really isn’t. Because Oikawa may be afraid and really not want to go, but as he’s so eloquently put it before, he has a reputation to keep up, which means he has to put on a show, suck it up and go. People in their class, especially girls, tend to like Oikawa, admire him, respect him. Oikawa draws people in, after all, makes people curious. He’s able to charm his way into people’s hearts and make them want to indulge him.

(Iwaizumi thinks it’s weird. Especially when he sees girls in their class whispering and giggling behind their hands, faces flushed and warm as they talk about Oikawa. The very thought of it makes him want to laugh.)

And Oikawa, who likes to bask in the attention given to him, would of course say yes to the group of girls who ask if he’ll be at the haunted house. Of course.

Needless to say, Iwaizumi knows he’s in for an interesting experience that Friday. Meaning he’ll have to witness Oikawa trying and failing to put on a brave face. Also meaning he’ll probably end up with some sort of suffering as well—likely in the form of Oikawa being clingy and begging to spend the night because there’s no way he could sleep alone after that, which means he’ll steal all of Iwaizumi’s blankets and likely kick him off the bed or hit him in the face with wild and erratic limbs.

The possibilities are endless.

He’s _really_ looking forward to it.

…

“You’re sure about this?” It’s the first thing Iwaizumi asks as Oikawa opens his front door that Friday.

“Hello to you too, Iwa-chan,” Oikawa says, stepping outside and shutting the door behind him. “And yes, I’m sure. I’m not a baby, you know!”

“Keep telling yourself that, and maybe it will end up being true.”

Oikawa looks like he’s wracking his brain for a comeback as Iwaizumi turns away and starts down the steps of the porch. He recovers after a moment, quickly moving to Iwaizumi’s side and falling into step with him. “Are you sure you’re not asking just because _you’re_ scared, Iwa-chan?”

He laughs. “As if! You’re the baby, not me!”

“Am not!” Oikawa pokes him in the side before murmuring a quiet, “I’ll be fine.”

As much as Oikawa tells himself that very statement, Iwaizumi doubts its truthfulness. He stops walking, Oikawa halting next to him. “We don’t have to go, you know. We can stay here.”

“I know, but—”

“If we stay here, we can watch that dumb alien movie you love so much.” The one that they’ve probably seen about fifty times, even though Iwaizumi thinks it’s a dumb movie. But it’s Oikawa’s favorite, so he may give in, even if they fight over watching it _again_ at first.

It’s a rare occasion that Iwaizumi will suggest watching it because they usually fight for a good five minutes before they can ever decide on anything to watch. He knows he’s got Oikawa at least thinking about the offer now because his eyes are wide in surprise and he looks back at his house, probably thinking about the movie waiting in his room.

The offer is a tempting one, after all. That’s why he saved it as a last ditch effort to talk Oikawa out of going tonight where he’ll likely embarrass the both of them.

But then Oikawa looks back at him and shakes his head. “No, that’s okay, Iwa-chan. We can watch it when we come home, though, since you offered.”

Iwaizumi flicks his forehead. “No way. The offer’s gone now, stupid.”

“Mean!” Oikawa whines, clinging onto his arm as they start walking again.

…

Things are about as bad as he imagined them to be.

(And no, that is not an exaggeration. Not at all.)

At least at first, everything is all right for the most part. They meet up with a group of their classmates and Oikawa _seems_ fine, is chattering away happily, just like normal. It’s when someone suggests that they go get in line for the haunted house that Iwaizumi notices the happy expression falter for a brief moment, but it’s back so quickly that no one else probably even notices it—not unless they’re looking for it.

“You’re sure you want to do this?” Iwaizumi asks again, nudging Oikawa gently while the rest of their classmates are distracted.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” is what Oikawa says, but the look in his eyes says something more like “No, not at all.”

“If you’re sure…”

Even though the line is long, filled with students from their school, they find out pretty quickly that you go through the haunted house in pairs. Some of the girls start squealing and fighting over who can be Oikawa’s partner. But Oikawa quells thoughts of that quickly enough with a simple, “I’m going with Iwa-chan.”

The girls look disappointed, so Oikawa adds in, “I don’t want him to be afraid without me!”

Iwaizumi frowns and pokes him in the side, easily conveying his message. _Don’t push it._

Oikawa seems to understand because he grins at him in response.

Finally, it gets closer to their turn. Oikawa insists that they go last out of the group—probably trying to prolong entering the haunted house for as long as possible—and soon enough, it’s just the two of them, waiting for the attendant to give them the go ahead.

“Ready?” Iwaizumi looks at Oikawa, who may or may not be slightly paler than he was moments ago, uncomfortably shifting from foot to foot and side-eyeing the haunted house like _now_ he suddenly decided to change his mind about the resolve from earlier.

And for a second, Iwaizumi thinks he’s going to refuse to go, but Oikawa takes a breath and walks forward, an unsure sounding “Ready,” slipping past his lips.

(He doesn’t _look_ ready at all, though.)

They walk inside and the door shuts behind them. No turning back now, even if Oikawa suddenly decides he wants to. It’s move forward or stay stuck there.

“You have to move, you know,” Iwaizumi says when he looks back at Oikawa, who hasn’t moved since they got inside.

“I know!”

Despite the words, Iwaizumi still has to pull him forward to get him to start moving. He can feel how tense Oikawa is when he grabs his arm, a testament to how bothered he is by this. “Come on, it won’t be that bad.”

And it isn’t. At least, that’s what Iwaizumi thinks. He’s never been bothered by scary things, has never paid much thought to ghosts and monsters and the like. He’s the one who can sit through a horror movie, no problem, no qualms about it at all and actually ends up enjoying it while Oikawa’s face is hidden behind his hands the whole time.

Honestly, this isn’t bad at all. It’s a haunted house made for students in their elementary school, so there wouldn’t be anything so scary it would scar them for life.

Unfortunately, coming out of this unscathed doesn’t seem like a possibility for Oikawa, who has been surprisingly quiet so far, but Iwaizumi can feel him inching closer and closer to him with every step, can feel the way he’s trembling at the sights in front of them, at the anticipation of something jumping out at him.

Even in the dim lighting, he thinks he catches the beginnings of tears in Oikawa’s eyes after he had jumped when a skeleton popped out of dark corner at them.  

Yeah, this isn’t good.

Oikawa is pressed right up against his side and Iwaizumi can feel him shaking, can tell without even really having to look how scared he is. So with a sigh, he sticks out his hand. “Here.”

“W-what’s that for?”

“It’s a hand. You hold it, dummy.”

Oikawa doesn’t even bother complaining about the insult, just grabs Iwaizumi’s hand and holds on tightly, presses himself even closer to his side. (If that’s even possible.)

“Your hand is all sweaty and disgusting…”

“Is not!”

“Is too!”

When Iwaizumi tries to move his hand to at least get slightly more comfortable in Oikawa’s death grip, Oikawa clings on even tighter. “Don’t let go!”

He sighs, squeezes his hand as a reassurance. “I’m not going to. It’s fine, I’m right here.”

Oikawa doesn’t say anything after that, but Iwaizumi thinks that maybe, just maybe, he relaxes the slightest bit.

The rest of the walk through is uneventful, and it’s honestly a little hard to focus on anything other than Oikawa’s ridiculously tight grip on his hand. But Oikawa seems calmer, still jumps and gets startled, but it’s not affecting him nearly as much as it was before they held hands.

Soon enough, they’ve reached the end, it’s over. Oikawa’s grip on his hand loosens, but he doesn’t let go even though there’s nothing to be scared of anymore. “Iwa-chan, thank you…”

He shrugs and squeezes Oikawa’s hand again. “It’s fine. You probably wouldn’t have made it out of there otherwise.”

Before Oikawa can respond, some of their classmates are there, talking loudly. “Oikawa-kun, were you scared?”

Oikawa grins immediately. “Of course not!”

Iwaizumi has to hold back a laugh at the lie.

“Then why are you holding hands?”

They look down, noticing their still intertwined fingers and let go immediately, faces maybe the slightest shade of red at the attention.

Oikawa, quick to recover, answers their question. “Isn’t it obvious? Iwa-chan was the one who was scared and without me—”

He receives a kick to the shin in response. “Wanna repeat that?”

“Ow! No, sorry!”

The group quickly loses interest in the topic and becomes distracted by something else. Iwaizumi turns to look at Oikawa. “Don’t come crying to me when you have a nightmare later.”

“You don’t mean that, Iwa-chan,” Oikawa says, grabbing his arm and pulling him toward home. “I know you don’t.”

He’s right, but Iwaizumi doesn’t have to admit that. Oikawa already knows that he’s there, that he’s not going anywhere. It’s something that doesn’t need to be said.

“We’re not doing something like that again anytime soon.”

Oikawa has no problem agreeing, grins. “You don’t have to tell me twice. So, about that movie…”

Iwaizumi just groans.  


End file.
